


Trials of Affection

by Eternity511



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Dark, Death Eater!Draco, Eventual Smut, F/M, Secret Relationship, Sixth year AU, Slytherin!Hermione - Freeform, Spy!Hermione
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-09-01 07:19:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8614807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternity511/pseuds/Eternity511
Summary: Hermione Granger has a new mission. She returns to Hogwarts for her sixth year, but with a new identity! Her task is to get close to the Slytherins and get information for The Order. But everything goes haywire, as she finds herself getting too close to the Slytherin Prince. What secrets is Malfoy hiding and hiw far will he go to keep then hidden. Sixth year AU, Dark!fic





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer- Not mine. All recognizable characters,themes belong to J.K Rowling. Only the plot is mine.
> 
> Main Characters- Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Tracey Davis, Theodore Nott, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, Blaise Zabini.
> 
> Other characters involved- Vincent Crabbe, Her gory Goyle, Daphne Greengrass, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Minerva McGonagall, Pansy Parkinson, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore
> 
> Pairings- Draco X Hermione (Main), and several others I won't spoil by saying now.

**Prologue:**

**Summer 1996**

**Hermione Granger's house,**

**Oxford, 11:00 pm**

"CRACK"

"What was that?" asked Mrs. Granger to her husband, looking out of the window. She craned her neck trying to see outside in the darkness. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Mrs. Granger looked at her husband, Richard,nervously as he walked toward the door. He opened the door slowly to see Professor Dumbledore smiling at him. "Good evening Mr. Granger. Apologies for coming in so late unannounced but things have really gotten out of hand".

"Ah, Professor, do come in", Mr. Granger welcomed him inside.  Behind Dumbledore, Mr. Granger recognized Harry and Ron along with a thin, tired looking man and a woman with bubblegum pink hair. He ushered them into the living room where a surprised looking Mrs. Granger welcomed them. "Professor Dumbledore what a surprise", she said. "My apologies Mrs. Granger for disturbing you all so late but it's a matter of urgency and utmost secrecy. We need to talk to Ms. Granger". Dumbledore said calmly, Mrs. Granger nodded.

"Hello Mrs. Granger" Harry politely said. "Oh, Harry my boy you've grown so much, you too Ron", she said happily, and embraced them warmly. Ron blushed. "Mrs. Granger, my name's Remus Lupin, I was Hermione's teacher at Hogwarts in her third year, and this is Tonks", he said referring to the pink haired woman besides him. Mrs. Granger smiled at them. "It's a pleasure to meet you, please make yourselves comfortable. I'll get you all some tea".

She called Hermione down and busied herself in the kitchen making tea. Hermione came rushing down the stairs and into the living room.

"Harry! Ron!" She squealed and ran towards them hugging them both. "Hi 'Mione" Ron said, looking flushed. "Professor Dumbledore!" she looked at Dumbledore, who nodded at her. "Remus, Tonks, what are you all doing here?" "Why don't you take a seat Ms. Granger", Dumbledore said gesturing to a chair.

Hermione sat down. "We all -that is The Order needs your help Ms. Granger" Dumbledore said after a scowl from Ron and Harry. "What sort of help professor?" asked Hermione. "The Order has received information that Lord Voldemort is planning several attacks on Hogwarts", Dumbledore began. Ron and Tonks winced at the name. "He has been recruiting several of the older students into his circle, and I believe he intends to use them to terrorize the school and try to get at Harry", Harry groaned loudly. "Our intelligence suggests that he recruited the sixth and seventh year Slytherins-children of his Death Eaters to his cause".

"What has it got to do with Hermione?" asked Mrs. Granger entering the room with a tray full of cookies and tea. "Well, we have no idea about the nature of these– acts that Lord Voldemort is intending these children to perform", replied Remus, taking a cup of tea from her. "What we actually need is a spy who can infiltrate and mix with these students and find out their plans", finished Dumbledore.

Hermione looked at him uncertainly."What my idea is-if you agree to do it Ms. Granger, to have you mix with them and do some spying for us".

"Mix with them? But that's impossible Sir as you know we aren't exactly friends", Hermione pointed out. "That's an understatement" interjected Ron.

"Here's the twist Ms. Granger, you will not be going as yourself, in fact, Hermione Granger will not attend Hogwarts this year, you will be disguised as French pureblooded witch who will join Hogwarts this year and you will be sorted into Slytherin. Your mission will then be to get close to these students, find about their plans and report it back to us", Dumbledore finished explaining.

Hermione listened carefully and thought about it, she looked around the room, noting the worry on her parents face, the encouraging looks on Tonks and Lupin's face to the scowling looks on Harry and Ron's. "We don't want you to do this Hermione, it's too dangerous but they won't listen". Ron stated angrily. Harry nodded, "He is right Hermione, its Malfoy and his cronies we're talking about. If your identity is discovered, you'll be in serious trouble!".

"I personally assure you about Hermione's safety, Mr. and Mrs. Granger. All the teachers, including me will be there to look after her", Dumbledore reassured them. "Richard what do you think?" asked Mrs. Granger, looking at her husband. 

Mr. Granger looked at his daughter for a moment. "I trust professor Dumbledore fully, Helen, Hermione will be perfectly safe, I believe she can do this" Mrs. Granger nodded, Hermione smiled at her parents. "I'll do it professor!" she said nodding.

Dumbledore smiled at her approvingly. Ron and Harry frowned, she squeezed their hands,"Don't worry guys, I can handle this" she reassured them.

* * *

**A**   **few days later,**

**No. Twelve Grimmauld Place,**

**9:30 pm**

Hermione sat down in the meeting room with Kingsley,Mr. Weasley, Lupin, Tonks, Harry, Ron and Ginny to discuss the plan.

Kingsley began speaking "Hermione, you are going to Hogwarts as Miss Sophie La Roche, a sixth year Beauxbatons student". 

"We have kept her personality similar to yours but with a Slytherin mind, your character is just as studious, best in her year, and a bookworm, but manipulative and obnoxious as a Slytherin" added Tonks. "That means that she is a less bossy, stuck-up, but a bitchy version of you Hermione!" interjected Ron. Hermione glared at him. "Yeah you need to act less as a know-it-all, 'Mione", added Harry cautiously. Ginny sniggered.

"But what happens when someone decides to check up on me and see if I'm really from Beauxbatons?", asked Hermione, ignoring them. "Here", said Lupin, handing her a folder. "It contains all of your official 'academic records', Dumbledore himself has arranged them, so don't worry about their 'authenticity'". "There's a photograph inside of the girl you'll be turning into," added Kingsley. Hermione picked up the photograph, studing it carefully. 

The girl in the picture was medium heighted, had beautiful dark curls, an oval face, deep blue eyes, a small but cute nose and full lips. "She is actually muggle girl from our village, Ottery St. Catchpole, so there's really a slim chance that anyone will recognize her."Mr. Weasley pointed out.

"You will be attending Hogwarts this year as her, get sorted into Slytherin, and find out as much information as possible. For this, Professor Snape has prepared a potion for you, kind of like a long lasting Polyjuice, which you will consume weekly, to maintain your disguise", explained Kingsley.

"Throughout the year he will provide you with the potion. Any questions?" he asked. "Um -yes, who do I report all my information to?" Hermione asked. "Either to Professors Dumbledore or McGonagall, or even Snape if required", Hermione nodded. "We will also be there for you 'Mione", reassured Ginny."Just keep the required distance from us".

"Yes, and if Malfoy and his cronies give you any trouble, we'll kick his ferrety butt!" added Ron.

* * *

That night Hermione and Ginny lay on their beds in one of the bedrooms at the headquarters, both too excited with Hermione's mission to fall asleep.

"So 'Mione, how does this potion work? Is it exactly like Polyjuice?" she asked."Not exactly", Hermione replied. "It changes my face and a little bit of my physique, that's all". Ginny frowned.

"The girl is actually a little taller than me, so when I drink the potion, my body will adjust accordingly".

"Oh, I thought that your-"

"No, they won't".

"Hmm...shame, she really had big ones"

"Ginny!"

"What? I'm not the only one who noticed! Don't worry 'Mione, yours are pretty great too!"

"Ginny!" Hermione was shocked at the implication. "Relax girl, you know I don't swing that way. I've heard some boys mention that", reassured Ginny.

"Really? Who?" asked Hermione feeling a bit curious and embarrassed."You know, just a couple of Ravenclaws in your year, and in Gryffindor too".

"Did-",

"I'm sorry 'Mione, I don't think so".

"Oh," Hermione felt a pang of sadness in her heart. It was so typical, for others to notice her, while the one guy she wanted to be noticed by wouldn't even think of her that way; it was like the Yule Ball all over again. Ron was such a prat sometimes.

"Oh Hermione" Ginny got up and hugged her tight. "It's okay Gin, really. I should just get used to it now". Hermione added sadly.

"So, are you excited to live with the Slytherins?" Ginny asked. "Excited? More like scared. They would be all different from us; it's going to be difficult. I just hope that I don't do anything stupid".

"Stupid? You're Hermione Granger, the brightest witch in the school, you don't do stupid things! Plus you get to live with all those sexy Slytherins", said Ginny wistfully.

"Sexy?" asked Hermione sarcastically. "Don't pretend you haven't noticed. Even with your nose stuck up in a book all year, you'd have to be blind not to notice them. Take Blaise Zabini for example, he has an amazing body and is so handsome," defended Ginny.

Hermione smiled, she hadn't been living under a rock, she noticed these things too, but was a bit embarrassed to admit. "Sounds to me as if someone has a thing for the Italian bad boy" she said smirking. Ginny blushed visibly. "Really? So what you're over Harry?" Hermione asked. "I don't know 'Mione, he doesn't seem to think of me that way. So I really don't mind it now."

"Hmm...anyway we should get to bed now, we to be early to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow" Ginny nodded, turning off the lights.

"Goodnight Hermione".

"Goodnight Gin" Hermione lay down her bed thinking about their conversation, ' _This is going to be an interesting year,'_ she thought to herself before falling asleep.


	2. Chapter 1

 

**1st September 1996, 10:50 am,**

**Platform Nine and Three quarters,**

**Kings Cross Station**

Hermione stood on the platform, disguised as Sophie, watching all the students and their families around her. She stood along with Tonks, who was disguised as her mother. Tonks had her black, curly hair tied up in a sophisticated looking bun, and green piercing eyes. She was wearing a set of beautiful violet robes, thus keeping up with her disguise of a rich pureblood woman.

"It is so revolting isn't it?" asked Tonks.

"You mean that acting like one of those narrow minded, snotty pureblooded women who are so proud of their social status and heritage?" Hermione finished.

"Yes, I'm so glad that my mum wasn't like this." Tonks replied. Hermione nodded, looking around her she saw the Weasleys arriving; wishing that she could join them, she sighed, causing Tonks too look in at them too.

Hermione had said their goodbyes to them and the others at the Headquarters earlier this morning. According to Mad-Eye Moody's plan, Hermione (disguised as Sophie) and Tonks, were supposed to leave earlier and upon the Weasley's arrival there act as if they were strangers. Hence, Hermione had said goodbyes to Harry, Ron and Ginny there as well. Things wouldn't be same this year. She would no longer be their best friend, no longer be able to help them with their homework (as Ron has sadly pointed out), no longer be able to help Harry when he was troubled. She would no longer be able to run to Ginny for her girly issues (usually about Ron). She was now just a new girl and had to keep appropriate distances from them. Maybe this year would do them good, she thought. Due to her 'absence' Harry and Ron would probably have to do their own homework, and study on their own. Maybe the boys would actually realize her worth, she mused.

She watched Harry and Ron help Mr. Weasley load their and Ginny's trunks into the train. Walking past her Harry winked at her and murmured something that sounded like "Good luck," smiling to herself she turned to Tonks,

"Mum, I think I should get on now. It's almost time" she said.

"All, right _ma fille_ chérie. Take care of yourself." Hugging her tightly, she whispered "Good luck Hermione. I know that you can do it." Hermione nodded.

 _"Au revoir_ Mum."

 _"Au revoir_ Sophie" Tonks replied.

Hermione got on the train, waved at Tonks as the train started moving with a lurch, she waived until the train turned around a corner and the platform was no longer visible, and then started searching for an empty compartment. She passed many of her friends and Gryffindor housemates sitting together and laughing, she sighed, wishing that she could join her friends too. Completely lost in her thoughts; she didn't realize where she was going and bumped into a hard body. "Oh-I'm so sorry," she said as she looked up.

Ever since she had accepted her mission, Hermione had started imagining various scenarios in her mind, for her first meeting with Malfoy, building his trust, getting information out of them, reporting it etc. She had imagined and prepared her strategy according to them; but never had she actually considered such a scenario, it always felt too unbelievable to her. There were hundreds of students going to Hogwarts, all currently on the train, but what were the odds that she bumped exactly into her targets ? There was a large number of Slytherins on the train, a respectable number of 6th and 7th years, but bumping into Malfoy and Zabini out of all of them? Co-incidence?

She looked up and stared at them, though she would rather die than admit, they both were rather handsome. Zabini; with his dark skin and ruggedly handsome Italian looks, tall, towering posture (not unlike Ron's, she noticed) and a well built body showed off by his flattering robes, was undoubtedly sexy. No wonder Ginny had the hots for him. Beside him Malfoy, with had a small smirk on his face. Like Zabini he had matured a lot too. His face, that was once long and pointed was now a bit striking, the baby fat had sunken in, giving him rather angular cheeks, his nose was long and aristocratic. She noticed that he no longer slicked his hair back, his platinum blonde hair hung loose around his head, giving it an attractively messed up look. Her gaze travelled down along his well built torso, no doubt toned due to Quidditch. Together they were every girl's wet dream. As looked back at his face, she found his smirk widening. No doubt he had followed her eyes trailing all over his body. Hermione felt her cheeks get warm, and she looked away.

"I am sorry", she repeated. Looking at them again. Both Zabini and Malfoy were looking at her with interest, no doubt curious about her identity. Hermione mentally shook herself, reminding herself of her mission.

Malfoy nodded, a particular smug expression on his face that always irked Hermione.

"Who are you? I don't recall seeing you here before" asked Zabini, stepping close to her. "I cannot ever forget such a beautiful face," he added smoothly, giving her a rather flattering smile. Hermione blushed visibly. No wonder girls went crazy after him, the guy was a natural when it came to flirting.

Behind him Malfoy cleared his throat, shaking Hermione from her thoughts.

"That's because I'm new. I just joined this year. Transferred from Beauxbatons" she replied.

"My name's Blaise. Blaise Zabini. What's your name _princesse?"_ he asked taking her hand in his and stroking it gently.

"Sophie LaRoche" she replied, taking back her hand, with a smile. Behind Zabini, Malfoy stepped forward.

"I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." She held out her hand which he took in his own. He bowed slightly and lightly pecked her knuckles. Hermione blushed again, slightly impressed by his chivalry. The instant his lips touched her knuckles, she felt a jolt of electricity, almost like a spark flow through her body. She retracted her hand swiftly and looked at him, wondering if it was only her imagination. He found her own curiosity in his expression thus confirming her suspicions that he had experienced it too. Glancing at Blaise, she found him smiling, unaware of what had happened. "It's a pleasure to meet you both _Messieurs_ Malfoy and Zabini." She said smiling at both of them.

 _"Mademoiselle_ LaRoche would you like to join us in our compartment, with our friends?" Malfoy asked her. "We promise to keep you entertained" he added.

Hermione looked at him, then at Zabini. While she had zero interest in joining them, this could be an easy way to gain their trust. Also she was curious about what happened between her and Malfoy. She had never felt anything like that before. Whatever it was, it had spoiled her fun. When he had taken her hand in his, she had inwardly been smirking. The so called Pureblooded Slytherin Prince, touching her hand willingly, her - the famous (or infamous, in his circles) muggleborn Gryffindor, and Harry Potter's best friend! While she knew that she no longer looked like Hermione and her name and expensive robes literally screamed 'wealthy pureblood', it was a small compensation. Oh how Ron would have had made fun of Malfoy had he been here. But that spark had taken all her attention now.

She nodded. "Yes I would love to. It's not like I know anyone else here", Malfoy nodded and motioned her to come along. He and Zabini seemed to be having a silent conversation among them. If she had to guess, she would say that Zabini was questioning Malfoy's offer to invite her. Her heart sped up. Why was it that Zabini didn't want her there. He seemed perfectly courteous to her. Was it something they wanted to discuss in private? Could it be something about this death eater business?

Malfoy seemed to have dismissed Zabini's concerns, for he motioned her to follow him. Zabini walked along with her casually flirting all the way. As they passed the various carriages, in a particular one, she passed Harry and Ron. She slightly slowed looking at them. They were happily chatting along with Ginny, Neville and Luna. Her eyes met with Ron who looked surprised to see her walking with Malfoy and Zabini. She rushed forward, making sure neither of the boys beside her saw her looking at them.

Malfoy pulled open a compartment door and entered not before inviting her inside, Zabini held the door open for her. Hermione took a deep breath and walked in, her head held high. Inside, several of her Slytherin peers sat, lounging. As she entered, they all looked at her curiously. Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, stared back at her. Malfoy grinned at her as he sat besides Parkinson, gesturing her to sit opposite him.

"Who is this?" Pansy asked them. "She's new. Transfer student." Malfoy answered, before Hermione could reply. She glared at him as he sat opposite to him, besides Daphne and Nott. Zabini shut the compartment door and settled besides Malfoy.

"I can speak for myself" she replied huffily. Careful to speak in an almost fading French accent. "My name's Sophie LaRoche. I am from Beauxbatons. 6th year. I am the part of the exchange program -And yes I'm a pureblood, before any of you asks!"

"Nice to meet you Sophie, I'm Theodore Nott Jr. This is Daphne and Pansy. Welcome to Hogwarts." Nott welcomed her, shaking her hand. "Er-The train then..since we're not there yet obviously" he added somewhat sheepishly.

_"Enchantè"_

"Exchange program?" asked Daphne Greengrass.

"Yes, you-know I'm going to study here for the year and one of Hogwarts students studies-" she started to explain.

"We know what it means!" Pansy snapped. Hermione flushed

"You should, a first year would know what it means," she retorted. Malfoy and Nott snickered, while Zabini laughed openly. Daphne tried to conceal a smile on her face while Pansy glared at her. She turned her attention to Hermione, scowling at her, clearly unable to think of a comeback.

"Merlin, you are so funny LaRoche." Theo said . " I like her," he added, looking at Malfoy, "We definitely need some laughter, now that Malfoy's gotten serious, and Granger's gone away".

Hermione's heart quickened, how did he already, know that she wasn't here? "The mudblood's gone? Where?" asked Pansy, excitedly.

"Dunno, probably Beauxbatons. Overheard the Weaslette telling Longbottom about it on the platform. Good riddance if you ask me!" Theo replied.

"Is Granger part of the exchange program also?" asked Daphne looking at Hermione.

"I suppose so, is she at top of the year over here?" asked Hermione trying to sound nonchalant.

"Unfortunately, I'd have to say yes. She's such a know-it-all." Zabini replied. "Why do you ask?."

"Because they select only the top student of the school for this programme! " she retorted.

"So, you mean to say you were also first in your class at Beauxbatons?" asked Malfoy.

"Yes!", Hermione said exasperatedly. "Whoa-really?" asked Zabini. "You don't look like a nerd. I mean, with Granger, you could peg her as a nerd straight away. With that 'holier than thou' attitude, she is the resident Ms. Know-it-all and a total snotty uptight bitch." Hermione glared at them, anger flooding into her veins. "But you –"

"Yes. What about me?" she snapped, getting to her feet. The boys recoiled at her anger, Daphne looked amused, while Pansy had a suspicious expression on her face.

"I-I didn't mean to offend you, It's just that you are the exact opposite of a stereotypical nerd." Zabini tried to explain. Malfoy, who had also gotten to his feet, tried to calm her down.

"Relax, Sophie, he didn't mean it that way." Hermione calmed down, still breathing heavily.

"I apologize for snapping at you, _Monsieur_ Zabini. It's just that I am rather sensitive about my image. Being from a noble pureblooded family, I am supposed to maintain a proper image, despite being a nerd from the inside." She replied, sitting down again.

"Please call me Blaise, _Monsieur_ Zabini sounds very formal. Makes me feel like an old man." Blaise added.

"You mean to say that you aren't already one?" Nott interjected. Just like that the atmosphere in the compartment calmed. Malfoy snickered loudly, causing Blaise to glare at them. Hermione smiled.

"Boys", muttered Daphne, rolling her eyes, turning to Hermione "Sophie, tell us more about yourself." She asked.

Hermione took a deep breath, 'It's showtime', she thought, 'Time to make it or break it.' This little conversation, would determine if her mission would succeed. If they were impressed, she would become their friend, and they would start to confide in her. She needed to gather as much information for the Order as possible. She looked around at all their curious faces, and started.

"Well, as you know, I'm French. I was born in Paris. My mother's family was originally British, so I've visited England a couple of times before." She stopped and looked around, everyone was listening to her curiously. Zabini nodded encouraging at her, "I attend Beauxbatons Academy, except this year of course, I was chosen to take part in an exchange programme for the year.

"Tell us about your family and friends" said Malfoy commandingly. Hermione scowled at his tone, but continued nonetheless, "My family, The LaRoche's are a respectable family in France. My Great Aunt was supposedly related to Louis XVI. My Uncle particularly is very influential in the wizarding society, especially the French Ministry of Magic." She finished arrogantly. She looked around again. Except Pansy, all looked impressed. Zabini was looking at her with raised eyebrow, Nott looked flabbergasted, even Malfoy had a smirk on his face. Daphne had a huge smile on her face, her expression claiming that they were already good friends. Hermione shuddered, was this what made people friends in their world? Money, heritage and social standing? She couldn't believe the shallowness of the so called pureblood society. However she forced herself to go on. "

"My father works for the Ministry, or actually you could say that the Ministry works for him," she said in what hopefully passed for a sneer. The others laughed. "I've only arrived here with my Mother a couple of days ago. We stayed at her ancestral home in Oxford. I visited Diagon Alley yesterday, and I must say, I prefer our French version. We have different streets for different class families, purebloods and have separate streets and shops, here everyone's mixed up. How can purebloods and mudbloods shop in the same place? All kinds of scum in one place, gives me the chills," she sneered condescendingly.

The boys exchanged looks, even Pansy had an approving look on her face. She could almost understand what was going in their minds, by degrading mudbloods as filth, she had earned their approval. Disgusting, she thought to herself. Here she was, befouling her own kind, just to prove her allegiance to some foul rich, pureblood bigots. The Order should be grateful to her; she probably deserved a medal for even thinking about accepting her mission.

The rest of their journey passed quickly. She answered more of their questions, complete to their satisfaction. They inquired more about her heritage, family and friends back home at Beauxbatons, she answered each one satisfactorily. Malfoy had been the most critical of them, no longer interested in flirting with her, he still seemed suspicious of her, whenever she stopped for a moment while answering. Blaise and Theo had been cheerful, inviting, Blaise more than Theo. Daphne was approving, but behaved like those vapid, pureblood princesses; spoilt from birth. Pansy, however was the only one who didn't like her. She continued to try to demean Sophie, but failed miserably. In the end she just crossed her arms and sat huffing.

They were almost there, when the girls left the compartment to change into their robes. She was the one to suggest it, she had noticed Blaise shooting looks at Malfoy, like he wanted to talk alone with him. Along with Daphne and a (frowning) Pansy, she left for the bathrooms on the train. Hermione, knowing that she won't be able to hear the boys' conversation, had slipped a muggle device into her bag in the compartment. Smirking to herself, she quickly changed into her robes.

Returning with the girls back to their compartment, she found that the boys already dressed and waiting for them. She noticed Crabbe and Goyle had also joined them. She was quickly introduced to them, but Hermione wasn't paying attention. Something seemed different now, somehow the compartment felt much darker, there was a palpable tension in the air… maybe it had to do with the boys' talk, Hermione wondered. As she sat down besides Blaise, she glanced at each of their faces. Their expressions reverted back as the girls entered the compartment; Blaise had a winked at her, Theo was chatting with Daphne, who was blushing. Malfoy, however seemed different. He was trying to fend off Pansy's advances, and his eyes looked a little serious. As if he felt Hermione's gaze on him, he turned towards her, their eyes met for a moment, but he turned away and began listening to Pansy's blabber, inattentively.

They finally reached Hogsmeade, where Hagrid and Professor McGonagall were waiting for her. McGonagall approached her and upon introducing herself, asked Hermione to follow her peers to the castle in the carriages, where upon her arrival in the hall she'd be sorted. She sat with the Slytherins, acting like in character, looking impressed with the scenery around.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Blaise asked her as they neared the castle.

 _"C'est Magnifique!"_ Her face had lit up with joy upon nearing her second home. She thought about her beloved library, patiently waiting for her. She however missed, Malfoy staring at her face, drinking in her expression cautiously. As they stepped out of their carriages, Blaise holding out his hand for her like a perfect gentleman,(Theo did same for Daphne while Malfoy for Pansy, begrudgingly though she noticed) and in a gracious manner announced 

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Sophie LaRoche."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations for french words/sentences in this chapter-  
> Ma fille chérie - my darling daughter  
> Au revoir - see you soon  
> Princesse- princess  
> Messieurs- Messers (plural of Mr.)  
> Mademoiselle - Miss  
> enchanté- enchanted/delighted or nice to meet you  
> Monsieur- Mister  
> C'est magnifique- its magnificent


	3. Chapter 2

Hermione walked with the Slytherins into the bustling hall. Hogwarts has always enchanted her, the majestic castle walls, so intricately decorated, enamored her entirely. It wasn’t a hard task for her to pretend to be amazed by its beauty, every year she was swept off her feet.

It thrilled her endlessly to call this grand castle as her second home. Hogwarts wasn’t unlike how she had imagined it, with its cold, dark dungeons to the tallest towers. The beautiful scenery of the Scottish highlands around the  castle always managed to serenade her. Even the Black lake, and the Forbidden Forest enthralled her. Her precious library, the Gryffindor Tower and the Room of Requirement (which they had discovered just last year) were some of her favorite places in the castle. 

Hermione faltered slightly, upon realizing that she probably won’t be able to visit the Gryffindor tower this year, and will have to accommodate herself in those cold and dingy dungeons that housed the Slytherin common room. Her companions seemed to notice her stopping, Blaise turned to her “What’s the matter?”

“Oh.. Nothing, just admiring your beautiful castle..This is the Entrance Hall isn’t it?” she quickly recovered. “I am supposed to meet Professor McGonagall here” she added, looking around for her.

“And there she is, old snooty McFace” Malfoy pointed out. Hermione frowned at him, clearly annoyed at his disrespect. 

Mumbling a rather hurried goodbye to them, Hermione walked quickly towards McGonagall. The deputy headmistress noticed her and smiled as the witch walked towards her.  

“Hello again Miss LaRoche. I was just looking for you.” McGonagall said, shaking Hermione’s hand.

“We will wait here for the first years to arrive and then shall proceed for the Sorting Ceremony.” She noticed some of the students still lurking about and shouted “Off with you lot, into the Great Hall now.”

 They quietly waited for the first years to arrive with Hagrid and upon their arrival McGonagall started with the same speech Hermione had heard her give in their first year, about the houses, points and the sorting. She smiled at Hermione when their eyes met and beckoned all of them to follow her. 

Hermione walked behind the bunch of rather excited first years, similar to how she had been in her first year. The gates of the Great Hall opened in a dramatic fashion and they walked inside.

Hermione felt many curious looks at herself, most of the students were talking and  pointing at her. Hermione held her head high, and walked forward ignoring them all, arrogantly swaying her hips. She could feel the stares from the Gryffindor table, and slightly tilted her head to look at them. Hermione immediately spotted them, sitting together, smiles on their faces as they saw her. Harry smiled at her, while Ron turned slightly pink, as if realizing just how beautiful Sophie LaRoche was. Ginny winked at her, before turning back into a conversation with Dean Thomas and Colin Creevy. (Who along with Ginny had been made the Gryffindor fifth year prefects this year).

 They stopped as they reached the Sorting Hat, and it began its song. Hermione, for probably the first time in her life wasn’t paying attention to its song. Her gaze travelled over the house tables, over so many familiar faces of her classmates. At the Hufflepuff table she spotted Hannah Abbot, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Susan Bones, and Ernie Macmillan. Turning towards the Ravenclaw table,  she saw Luna sitting with her friends, blabbering about Nargles; Padma Patil, Terry Boot and Michael Corner having a serious discussion about something she couldn’t figure out. 

Hermione’s gaze travelled over to the Slytherin table, and completely unaware that she was staring at Malfoy. Her mind was still unable to comprehend what happened between them. He wasn’t flirting with her any longer, but was being critical and suspicious increasingly. Malfoy like most people wasn’t listening to the sorting hat as it proudly sang its new song, but was talking in hushed whispers to Pansy, who had a big smile on her face, and stared at him adoringly. 

As if he knew of her eyes upon him, Malfoy, suddenly looked away from Pansy at her, his cold grey eyes burning into hers. Hermione didn’t dare break the connection. She lost herself somewhere in this contest, the world breaking apart around them, feeling like time slowing down indefinitely. 

As if looking at him for the first time, she noticed much finer and insignificant details about him, both the times she’d seen him in different clothes on the train- He had several lines around his eyes, But what could he be so stressed about? She wondered. Her gaze travelled down towards his torso. His school robes and those he wore earlier, were a shade of midnight black; that contrasted rather elegantly with his pale skin, were full sleeved. It was still slightly hot, the summer had just ended, and Hermione saw no reason for him to be wearing full sleeves. 

Could he be hiding something? A scar? A tattoo? Maybe the Dark Mark? No, that’s Just stupid. He was way too young for that. Voldemort wouldn’t want a sixteen year old to join would him, would he? It seems highly unlikely. 

Before Hermione could ponder more about this, McGonagall’s voice, interrupted her thoughts. The Sorting Hat had finished its song, and had begun sorting the first years. She turned towards them, not before glancing towards Malfoy, who also seemed to be watching the sorting, looking rather bored. 

“Abbot, Minnie” McGonagall announced. A blond haired, timid looking girl stepped forward and sat on the stool. McGonagall placed the hat over her head, which after a moment shouted “RAVENCLAW!”

The Ravenclaw table erupted in cheers as the little girl ran and sat down. The sorting continued, sorting the first years. “Burke, Michael” “HUFFLEPUFF!”

 “Carrow, Laura” “SLYTHERIN!”

“Cornfoot, Ryan” “HUFFLEPUFF!”.

Hermione cheered inwardly when “Davies, Jason” became the first Gryffindor; and henceforth for all following Gryffindors. She shuddered when a Slytherin was sorted, reminding her of her own fate. Finally the last one “Zimmer, Terrence” was made into a Ravenclaw. And everyone’s attention turned towards her. 

She held her head high, ignoring the stares and whispers all around her, looking at the Teacher’s Table, when Dumbledore finally stood up and spoke,

“Welcome to the new students and Welcome back our old students. This year is a another special year for us. This year Hogwarts has entered into the coveted Inter-School Student-Exchange Programme, participated by almost every wizarding school of the Northern Hemisphere. In this programme, the top students of the school are sent to complete their education for the year in another school, to understand new cultures, learn new experiences, develop friendships and promote unity. Our own top student, brightest in her year, Ms. Hermione Granger has been selected for this programme and will be attending Beauxbatons Academy this year. And please help in in welcoming Ms. Sophie LaRoche, from Beauxbatons, who will be attending  Hogwarts this year,” clapping his hands. Hermione smiled at everyone present, who clapped and cheered for her. Some boys even stood up and hooted, making her blush. 

“Now, now let’s not get carried away, I’m sure you’ll all make Ms. LaRoche at home, so without further delay, shall we begin with your sorting?” Dumbledore calmed everyone, looking at her for the last part. She nodded and stepped and sat down on the stool again, the feeling of Déjà Vu rocking her slightly. 

McGonagall placed the old and frayed hat on her head. The Sorting hat spoke in her ear,

“ Hello again Ms. Granger, Nice to see that your mind hasn’t changed a bit in the last five years. You would still do well in Ravenclaw, and your Gryffindor bravery grows everyday.” “But you have to sort me in Slytherin” she whispered at it.

“Yes, my dear I’m aware of that fact. Not that I’d have to force my decision, you can automatically fit in there,”

“What do you mean?” she asked. 

“I mean that you are slowly showing your Slytherin like traits, they are more than you know, and ever evolving. They have always been a part of you, Miss Granger, like I told you the first time I sorted you. Don’t you find yourself becoming more vindictive, your plans underlying your cunningness? You cannot lie to me Ms. Granger, I an see it all in your head. Hence I wouldn’t need to lie by saying -SLYTHERIN!”, it said shouting the last part to the whole room. 

The Slytherin table erupted in cheers, while the rest politely clapped, the boys all around especially, looking crestfallen. Hermione hopped from the stool and sat down on the Slytherin Table, between Blaise and a girl in her year whose name she didn’t know. Blaise had a huge grin on his face,

“I knew you’d join us, I can smell a snake right away. Welcome to Slytherin, Sophie”. Hermione smiled at him. The girl on her side turned to her and welcomed her as well.

“I’m Tracey Davis, sixth year as you. We’re going to be sharing dorms! It’s going to be so much fun.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Hermione added uncertainly. 

Dumbledore got up from his seat, and asked them to tuck in, as the Opening feast began, the dishes magically appearing in the middle of the table. Hermione’s eyes travelled over the dishes, it seemed like Dumbledore had asked the house-elves to prepare some French dishes in the honor of their ‘exchange student’ from France.

“What is this? Some kind of disgusting French food? The standards in this place have gone to hippogriffs!” exclaimed Pansy, who was sitting across Blaise with Daphne besides her, sniffing at a dish with distaste. Hermione glared at her.

“It’s a bouillabaisse, I expect that the Old Coot had it especially prepared to make Ms. LaRoche feel welcomed,” snapped Malfoy, looking thoroughly disinterested and irritated at Pansy’s bitching. All nearby eyes, including Hermione’s turned at him, he was sitting on the other side of Theo (who sat besides Daphne); sneering with Goyle. To Hermione it had seemed that he hadn’t even been listening to their conversation, so his remark had surprised her. 

Pansy, clearly annoyed by Draco’s remark, scowled and said “Draco, no need to snipe, I was merely commenting on the increasingly lowering standards of food here, that to satisfy one witch, they’d make us all suffer through this  crap.”  

“But I like French food, Pans, does that mean that if I eat it you won’t talk to us anymore?” asked Theo, rather hopefully. 

“Of course not Theo, I’m merely expressing my distaste for French cuisine, I promise it won’t hamper our friendship” Pansy replied, pouting in what she assumed must be a cute expression. Hermione rolled her eyes looking at Tracey who had a gagging expression on her face. Theo looked crestfallen at Pansy’s reply, clearly hoping to get away from her incessant blabbing. 

“Yeah, well Pansy I happen to enjoy French cuisine and consume it monthly at the Manor during the holidays, maybe if you don’t like it, you should probably stop visiting then. Merlin knows I love French gourmet and wont stop consuming it just for you!” Malfoy said, interrupting what would have been the start of another whine from Pansy when she discovered that her favorite Treacle tart had been replaced by a flaming French dessert. 

Pansy looking scandalized at Malfoy’s retort, pouted at him but he ignored her, and started filling his plate, glaring at a fourth-year year who tried to take the last piece of an apple pie in front of him. Hermione also started eating her dinner, alternating between talking with Tracey and keeping an observant eye around the Slytherins. 

Hermione, amidst Blaise’s flirtations, managed to get a good look around the Hall, noticing her surroundings for any suspicious activity. Her gaze fell upon the Gryffindor table, where her friends seemed to be having a merry time. Ron was stuffing chicken in his mouth, mimicking a hungry troll; Harry, Ginny and Dean Thomas laughed boisterously on some new joke, while Neville and Seamus sniggered. Hermione felt herself relax, this used to be a everyday environment for her. She always used to scold Ron for eating with his mouth open and talking at the same time, who used to roll his eyes at her and continue anyway. Harry would smile upon this, Ginny winking at her as she attempted to flirt with Harry, who seemed oblivious to her actions. It all seemed like a fond memory now,  as she gazed at them from the Slytherin Table.  

She noticed rather late that several pairs of eyes had followed her gaze, her fellow Slytherins looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“That’s Harry Potter, isn’t he?” she asked to nobody in particular, hoping her fond gaze could be interpreted as curiosity. 

“Yes, it is Saint Potter and his gang of misfits minus Granger of course”  replied Malfoy, looking at her, a frown demarking his pale face. 

“I thought so, he looks better in his pictures.” 

“Do you mean to say that Potter looks any better than a Blast-ended Skrewt?” asked Pansy, mockingly. Malfoy’s looked at her pointedly, and Hermione who had a retort ready on her tongue, swallowed to stop herself form falling into a not so subtle trap.

“Though I have no idea what these Blast-ended Skrewts are, I can assure you that I did not imply that. Parkinson, stop twisting my words. I meant that Potter looks less of a scrawny, speckled disaster of a wizard in his pictures than in real life”. 

Blaise and Theo clapped and cheered, no doubt entertained by an almost cat fight between the girls. Daphne had an approving smirk, while Crabbe and Goyle laughed thunderously. Tracey looked a little surprised, but Hermione had her eyes on Malfoy, who was undoubtedly pissed that she had successfully dodged yet another bullet that might prove her anyone else that who she claimed to be. 

Blast-ended Skrewts, indeed! As if she would ever fall for that. She was Hermione Granger, any other witch or wizard might have fallen into the trap, and commented about the Skrewts, thus establishing them as a liar, only Hogwarts students and those who had attended the Triwizard Tournament would have encountered Hagrid’s Blast-ended Skrewts. Hermione could see through his traps easily maybe that’s why she was chosen for this job, her attentiveness, quick-thinking and logical approach made her a brilliant asset for the Order. 

The rest of the meal continued without much happening. Pansy continued grumbling under her breath, Malfoy was involved in a conversation about a new Quidditch regime with the Slytherin Quidditch Captain Marcus Flint, while Crabbe and Goyle stuffed their faces and glared at laughing first years. Hermione, conversed with Tracey Davis and Blaise throughout the meal, and found them bearable. Tracey was surprisingly friendly, quite unlike what Hermione had judged about Slytherin girls. While cunning, she was much softer, and non judgmental. When dinner was over, Dumbledore got up, and began his list of announcements, which Hermione listened uninterestedly. 

“- the Quidditch tryouts will begin from next week, those wishing to try out should contact their respective Quidditch captains. Our caretaker, Mr. Filch has put up a list of all the banned items in front of his office- ”.

“Do you have individual house teams for Quidditch?” she asked Blaise.

“Yes, why you don’t at Beauxbatons?” 

“No,” she replied. “We have teams divided according to our year. Although first and sixth years aren’t allowed to play. We have our O.W.Ls in our sixth year and N.E.W.Ts in eighth.”

“Oh, that seems interesting.” He commented, uncertainly. 

“-Welcoming our new head boy and girl, Miss Cho Chang and Mr. Roger Davies, both of Ravenclaw house.” There was a cheer from the Ravenclaw table, as both Cho and Roger got up and bowed to all. Hermione politely clapped, wishing that she could also get the honor of becoming the Head girl next year. She probably would, depending how this year would go. She ran through her mind a list of suitable candidates for Head boy. He had have best of grades, so it would probably be a Ravenclaw or Slytherin, she realized to her horror. Also, the sports criteria was taken into question, that narrowed down the list to just one candidate. 

Draco Malfoy. 

No, it cannot be, bloody hell, No! Dumbledore wouldn’t make him the head boy would he? Not an arrogant, prejudiced, prat like him. But Dumbledore did make him a prefect, didn’t he? Hermione found herself wondering if he was starting to lose his marbles and going senile with his age. 

“-are you listening Sophie?” Tracey’s voice shook Hermione out of her thoughts. “What?” she asked the blonde haired girl. She looked around, everyone was getting up from their seats, Dumbledore must have dismissed them. “I asked if I could show you the way to our common room?” Tracey repeated.

“Oui, Let’s go”. 

Hermione followed Tracey and the other Slytherins to their common room memorizing the way through the dungeons. She maintained some small conversations with Blaise and Theo, pretending to be awed by the castle and its secret passageways, like  first timers would do.

“We also have a poltergeist, Peeves, who loves to play tricks and wreck havoc. The Slytherin ghost, The Bloody Baron is the only one who can control him, so if you have a good relationship with the Baron, Peeves won’t dare prank you” Nott explained. 

They reached the door to the Slytherin common room; It wasn’t much of a door, just a crack between two large walls, that were adorned with tapestries. The crack opened to reveal a large doorway when the password was spoken.

“Oi Nott, what’s the password?” asked Blaise.

“How am I supposed to know? You were leading us all so I assumed that you must be knowing it,” he countered, shrugging his hands from his pockets. 

“Look there’s Draco.” interrupted Daphne.

“Hey Draco,” she waved at him. He walked over arrogantly, “Did you idiots forget to ask the password?” Nott shrugged.

Malfoy gallanted in front of the crack and spoke “Chimera”, there was a loud hissing noise and the crack expanded, exposing a hidden doorway.

“Chimera? That’s the password! The lion headed creature?”, Blaise asked disbelievingly.

“The very same. Although I believe it had a dragon’s hind and tail also.” Hermione interrupted. Everyone turned at her, surprised expressions on their faces.

“Top of my class remember?” she said mockingly.  

“More like a know-it-all” Malfoy muttered.

“Don’t tell me that we’ve gotten another one! Merlin! Finally it was going to be an alright year, with Granger finally gone, and now we’re stuck with you. I hate his place!” exclaimed Pansy rather dramatically.

Hermione glared at her. Blaise, sensing hostility immediately tried to diffuse the tension, winking at her

“Now, now Pans, no need to be so hostile. Know-it-all or not, you still are my number one girl!” Pansy rolled her eyes.

“Shall we go in or are the lot of you planning on sleeping here?”  Malfoy commented,  looking thoroughly bored. 

Blaise gestured at Hermione in a ‘ladies first' way, and she slowly made her way through the doorway behind the other girls. 

 


	4. Chapter 3

Pansy lead the way as Hermione and Tracy trailed behind her, and entered the common room. As soon as Hermione glanced around she stopped suddenly, her eyes getting wide.

The Slytherin common room was a long , low ceilinged cavernous room with rough stone walls. Large, round lamps emitting a greenish light hung from the ceiling on chains; glowing brightly. A large fireplace dominated the room, crackling with fire. Above it, rested an elaborately carved mantle piece, decorated with skulls and a large silver snake with emeralds for eyes. The snake seemed to follow her gaze wherever she looked, creeping her out instantly. She quickly looked away. In spite of the fireplace, the room was surprisingly cold.

The rest of the room contained several strategically placed cupboards made up of expensive wood; also carved elegantly. The room was filled with lots of low back black and dark green button tufted leather sofas, armchairs, with silvery cushions.

The walls were decorated with rich, expensive tapestries featuring the famous medieval Slytherins. Soft rugs covered the stony floor, several cats, toads and other familiars belonging to other students were loitering about. The dungeon extended partway under the lake, giving the light in the room a green tinge. The huge windows provided a beautiful view of the creatures swimming about in the lake.

Slytherin hangings decorated the rest of the walls and cabinets, some of the Slytherins were busy lounging about, exchanging details of their summers, playing Gobstones and wizarding chess. While the room had a elegant and lavish atmosphere, it felt like a façade. The room lacked the warmth and cosiness she usually associated with the Gryffindor tower. Hermione felt a shiver run down her spine and suddenly she felt homesick, she missed the warmth of her Gryffindor dormitory and people.

Blaise turned towards Hermione and made a grand gesture toward the room. In a dramatic tone he announced, "Welcome to the Slytherin common room; your new home, Sophie", Hermione couldn't help but internally flinch at the mention of Slytherin dormitory as her home. She felt terribly out of place. This was not her home, this was enemy's land. This place was associated with everything she abhorred. This was the place from where wizards and witches usually went bad, they preached pureblood superiority and planned the extermination of her kind. This was the place where somewhat decent people were trained out of all kindness; and instead were instilled with cruelty, cunningness, cowardice and arrogance. Somewhere behind her, someone sighed and started tapping their feet on the ground pulling her out of her internal debate.

She focused back on Zabini and replied in an even tone  _"Merci_  Blaise."

Pansy, picking up on the slight wavering in Hermione's voice taunted. "What's the matter, LaRoche? Is the room too shabby for your Royal Highness?" Hermione never felt a stronger urge to hex someone but she settled for a cold stare. If looks could kill Pansy would have been dead by then.

Tracy saw the look on Sophie's face and tried her best to change the topic. She intervened "This must be very exhausting for Sophie. We keep on forgetting that it's a lot to take in at once, the change of school and companions."

Hermione was about to reply when Malfoy announced "I don't know about her, but I am exhausted and would like to head to my room. Excuse me and good night ladies". He motioned towards Blaise and Nott to follow him and walked away pompously. Hermione observed him disappearing to the right with acute scrutiny. It was clear that Draco was leading them. His dominance was unquestionably profound within the group.

"Do you always let him boss you around?" she asked Blaise incredulously.

"Not always, but he has a tendency to act leader, and we follow him sometimes," he shrugged. "We should, after all, he is the uncrowned Slytherin Prince,  _Doll"_ , interjected Nott.

"Yeah, but we've been best buds since we were children, so it's not like we are his lackeys or something, we have loads of fun together also", added Blaise. Hermione tried to process this, she didn't knew Slytherins was capable of friendship. Her inner voice, which always made her more compassionate and made her see good in everyone, was glad about this fact, though.  _'See, they're not all bad as you thought!_ ' it chided at her.

"We'll be leaving now, ladies, good night. We'll see you in the morning," said Theo, and walked away to his dorm.

"I should be going too, good night," said Blaise. He turned towards Hermione and said, "Good night, Sophie. Sleep well okay. I'll meet you for breakfast," he added winking at her in the end.

He nodded at Tracey and followed Nott. Hermione looked around and noticed Pansy was no where to be seen. But it wasn't as if she wanted the witch to be anywhere near her. She let the fact go unacknowledged and followed Tracey to their dorm.

Going down through a wide set of stairs in the direction opposite of the boys had gone earlier, they reached a narrow hallway with seven large double doors. One for each year. Tracey walked to the one near the end, bearing the number six in ornate carving, and indicated to her that it was theirs. She pushed open the doors and walked inside.

Following her, she stepped into the room, and her jaw dropped. The room was semicircular in shape. A central fireplace, provided the room with necessary heating. Five, four-poster, canopy beds were arranged in a circular manner around it. The floors were covered with warm, soft rugs; a section of the wall was devoted to large, elegantly carved, mahogany closets. Bedside tables surrounded each bed. A small round table, chairs and a small bookshelf were arranged in a corner. There was even a small cupboard for their personal potions storage and brewing. A large, full length mirror covered the far side of the room. A door led away from the room, presumably to the bathroom; the other walls were decorated designs and paintings. Huge windows with silk curtains gave the much needed light into the room, despite it being located so deep in the dungeons. It must have been enchanted, as the scenery depicted through the glass was of the rocks near the Great Lake, the waters silent as grave, and the moonlight gleaming from above.

Hermione was surprised to find that the room was comfortable and welcoming in contrast to the common room which appeared to be grand and cold. Both rooms had been elegantly decorated, _'No doubt due to all the money poured in by those rich pureblood snobs, who wanted their children living in lavish conditions as compared to rest of the castle',_  she thought to herself.

She turned towards the beds, Daphne and Pansy were getting ready for bed, Tracey beckoned her to the unoccupied one near hers, sitting down upon hers. Hermione walked over to her, sitting down next to her. The sheets were made of rich, soft silk, the pillows were fluffy and comfortable. Hermione fingered the velvety soft, curtains around the bed between her fingers. It seemed that Slytherins got the best of everything. Bloody money and power! Just like the muggle world, people with money and power got the best of everything. Even when they didn't always deserve it.

"Does her highness find her dorm room acceptable? Sharing a room with us peasants?" Pansy's mocking tone broke Hermione out of her reverie.

"Why don't you go and bother someone else Parkinson? Surely someone must give you some importance if you have spent six years with them," she sneered at her. Pansy immediately huffed and walked away to her bed. Tracey sniggered loudly.

"I've never seen anybody annoying Pansy this much. Most girls cower under her and worship her, even if they hate her behind her back. You might be one of the few who stand up to her." Tracey looked up at her with awe.

"Well, I hate it when somebody thinks too much of themselves and that they can bully their way around. I like to stand up to such people and 'knock them a peg or two down' as you people say. It's nothing to be proud of." Hermione replied, pulling off her robes.

They both got changed into their night wear, and got into bed. Pansy and Daphne had already settled for the night, judging from Pansy's snores. The other girl, Millicent Bulstrode still hadn't arrived into the dorm. Hermione inquired about it to Tracey.

"Oh, Millie? She probably must be with Crabbe and Goyle. They must still be in the Great Hall, reaching for the leftovers. Merlin only knows how she can eat so much and not get stomach ache! She'll be back soon. Don't worry. You can meet her tomorrow." Tracey explained and yawned. She murmured good night to Hermione, who was in her own thoughts to hear and reply back.

As Hermione listened to Tracey, her mind began to think swiftly. While her explanation seemed reasonable, given Hermione's previous knowledge about the girl's eating habits, maybe there could be another reason. Could Millicent be part of the new Death Eater gang everyone suspected there could be? She certainly fit the type. Being pureblooded, and those muggle hating types. Hermione also couldn't recall Crabbe and Goyle joining them to the common room after dinner. Were they with her? Why wasn't Malfoy with them? He was The Order's main suspect. Was he innocent? Or maybe he had joined them to the room to deflect suspicion. He did seem to quickly retire to his dorm and have Blaise and Theo tag along…

Shrugging her thoughts behind, and suddenly feeling extremely tired, she the into her bed. The silk sheets glided against her body, and Hermione found herself loving the sensation. Her last thoughts before she fell into a deep slumber, that maybe the Slytherin dorm was not so bad after all.

* * *

_**The next morning** _

Hermione was the first one to wake up the next day, feeling rather. took her a moment to recognise her surroundings, before she remembered. Gathering her robes and toiletries, she headed to the bathroom. After a nice cool shower, she dried her hair and tied it into a ponytail. (she was glad that she no longer had her bushy, untamable hair that took hours to manage and instead had beautiful, dark, silky locks). As she was getting out of the bathroom, she bumped into Millicent Bulstrode.

Millicent was black haired and had a heavy , jutting jaw. ' _Looking like a female Crabbe',_  Hermione thought to herself. Physically she might be considered intimidating but Hermione over all found her ugly and revolting. After brief introductions, Hermione walked back to her bed. Tracey had woken up and cheerfully waved at her.

By the time Hermione was ready everyone was up. She was collecting everything she needed for her classes in her bag when she suddenly heard a voice behind her.

"What's in that vial?" came the shrill voice of Pansy Parkinson, pointing to the large vial containing her potion in her bedside drawer. Hermione smirked internally, she had left the drawer open on purpose.

"It's an antidote for my allergy", Hermione replied hoping Pansy would take the bait and try something foolish sometime with it.

"And what is it that you are allergic to, LaRoche?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her, " I'm allergic to stupid, snobby pureblooded bitches like you Parkinson. So kindly stay the hell away from me!" she snapped at threw her a venomous look. Turning away, she winked at Tracey and Millicent, who were silent bystanders and burst into giggles. Nudging to Tracey, Hermione walked along with her to the Great Hall.

* * *

 **The**   **Great**   **Hall**

Breakfast was a chaotic affair. Hermione sat at the Slytherin table besides Blaise and Nott, who were regaling their peers with mimicking some of their famous pranks on unsuspecting Hufflepuffs, Crabbe, Goyle and another burly seventh year Slytherin were having a contest to see who could inhale more breakfast.  _They can easily give Ron a run for his money_ , she thought to herself and smiled. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Gobstones teams were arguing about the tie in last year's final match, causing the head girl, Cho Chang to interfere and linger at the Gryffindor table for much longer than necessary, much to Harry's dismay she noticed.

Halfway through breakfast, Pansy rushed into the hall after Malfoy, bawling at the top of her voice. Apparently, she had pissed of Malfoy, who had threatened her to back off or otherwise he would cease all impending negotiations between their families for a betrothal contract for them. Pansy, not taking his hint, proceeded to annoy him by implying cheating on him with another fellow (As of that would affect Malfoy, Hermione thought) and then apologizing by bawling her eyes out and rather inappropriately clinging to him. Malfoy now thoroughly pissed, humiliated her, by pushing her away, and glaring at everyone who looked at him.

Between all the fights, arguments, Blaise's antics, flurry of the owl post and Pansy's whining, somewhere along Hermione lost her appetite. She pushed her plate away, and began waiting for the Heads of their houses to finish their breakfast and distribute their timetables.

Professor Snape finally reached their table half hour later, and began distributing timetables to the first years. When he finally reached the sixth years, Hermione was ready to strangle him. Distribution of timetables to sixth years seemed a more complicated task for all the heads. Professors had to check that everyone had obtained the necessary O.W.L.s to continue with their N.E.W.T.s

When he finally reached Hermione, "Well, our new know-it-all, Ms. LaRoche, I see that you have chosen Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense against the Dark Arts, Potions, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes".

"Yes Sir," she snapped.

"You can manage with another elective I suppose, like Astronomy, History of Magic or Care of Magical Creatures." He sniped back, nostrils flaring slightly.

"I think I'm okay with this sir," she argued.

"Oh, but I insist. A witch of your caliber should take a minimum of 8 subjects. Ms. LaRoche," He sneered, tilting his head slightly in Malfoy's direction. Hermione turned towards Malfoy, who was munching on a piece on toast, rather involved in The Daily Prophet to notice.

Realisation dawned upon her slowly. Hermione understood that Malfoy must be taking one of those classes, and he wanted her to keep an eye on him. As if she would do it anyway.

"Fine then  _Professor_ , I'll take one, which one do you think I should select?" she asked mockingly.

"Either Astronomy or History of Magic will do, I believe"

"Fine. I choose Astronomy then!" she sniped back, getting annoyed now.

"Very well, I shall inform Professor Sinistra about you. She shall also excuse you from having no equipment or books until you can either purchase new or owl home for them." without waiting for a reply, he then turned towards the next student, Theodore Nott.

Hermione got up from the table, grabbed her bag and walked out of the hall. She was furious at them. Professor Snape, Dumbledore, all especially Malfoy. Who did they think they were? Trying to force her into taking an extra class just so she could babysit Malfoy! Her entire summer she had spent in planning. Ever since she received her O.W.L results, she had carefully planned out her entire study schedule for the year. Timetables, study planners, homework and revision along, keeping an eye on her other housemates, helping Harry and Ron indirectly; all had been carefully planned. And now, all her time had gone in vain, she had sneaked around the Headquarters, hiding from Ron and Harry as they tried to discourage her from doing so. But it was all rubbish now.

Taking an extra class wouldn't have bothered Hermione, if she hadn't wasted so much time in carefully planning her every move. Astronomy was a fascinating subject, but it threw out her current study schedule out of the window. She would have to redo it all again, and that thought annoyed her no end. Why couldn't they have told her this in the summer? Surely Snape or Dumbledore knew Malfoy was taking Astronomy, and a prior knowledge would have saved the trouble of making those useless timetables. Her only satisfying thought was that at least the timetables she made for Ron and Harry (unknown to them) would be helpful to them.

Hermione walked angrily, having no idea where she was walking, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Suddenly, she felt someone approaching her from behind and calling her. Looking around, she saw plenty of students milling about,  _breakfast_   _must_   _be_   _over_ , she thought to herself. Drying her eyes, she quickly turned around. Malfoy stood behind her, gazing curious at her face. Hermione felt a bit self conscious. Perhaps a telltale tear, that she hadn't brushed away? If Malfoy saw anything he didn't mention it.

"I was just wondering if you'd like me to escort you to your class?" he awkwardly asked. "My class?" Hermione looked suspiciously at him.

"Yeah, you have Arithmancy don't you? I'm in that class too, and seeing as you probably don't know where it is, I thought I should escort you," he replied smirking at her realisation.

Hermione mentally smacked herself. How had she almost forgotten that she wasn't supposed to know any of the pathways? She composed herself and nodded at him.

They walked in silence, only speaking when necessary. Malfoy pointed out several statues and tapestries as landmarks for her to remember. "So, how are you finding Hogwarts so far, Miss LaRoche?" he asked.

"It's interesting so far, rather different than what I had imagined. The dorms are nice, cozy and elegant. Are they the same in all houses?"

"No I don't expect them to be, Slytherin has the best, with all the rather generous alumni… The founder, Salazar Slytherin, was an great man. Often misjudged by those do-gooder Gryffindorks, he only wanted the best and the worthiest of them to be educated here, hence he did a lot of effort to make them comfortable." He replied pompously. "Those silly Hufflepuffs have their dorms near the kitchens, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor have their own towers, must be boring and rather cramped in there I suppose. I have been in the Ravenclaw tower only couple of times myself."

"Why were you in their tower?" asked Hermione, curiously.

"Why do you think?" he asked, smirking at her and slightly leaned towards her, into her space. An innocent blush tainted her cheeks

"Oh! ", she muttered as he realised and instinctively leaned away from him. Malfoy chuckled, seeing her reaction.

They continued walking in silence, though Hermione could feel his eyes flicker to her every few seconds. Feeling rather self conscious, Hermione walked around, intentionally not looking at him.

When they finally reached the class, like a perfect gentleman, he held the door open for her. Hermione smiled at him and walked inside. She sat down at one of the tables, hoping that he'd sit besides her, but Malfoy strode past her, sitting diagonally behind her. Hermione turned to look at his impassive face. He stared at her coolly, Hermione was just about to speak, when the doors opened and Blaise walked in.

"Sophie, I was looking for you. I knew you had taken this class and I wanted to show you the way!" he said, sitting besides her.

"Pardon me Blaise, I didn't know that you were also in this class. Malfoy escorted me here, if had any idea about you, we would have waited for you".

Blaise looked at Malfoy, both boys again having a silent conversation. Blaise turned grumpy at its end, turning to Hermione he said, " I hope he didn't annoy you, Sophie. Our Draco has a tendency to be crass and vile to people in general". Hermione chuckled, turning back to look at Malfoy, who was frowning at Blaise.

As the class filled in, Hermione looked around. Barely a dozen students were progressing into the N.E.W.T level Arithmancy. From Gryffindor, Fay Dunbar and Dean Thomas; Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones and Justin Finch-Fletchley. From Hufflepuff, Megan Jones, Terry Boot, Michael Corner and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw, along with her, Malfoy and Blaise.

Professor Vector walked in, greeting everyone and welcoming them to her class. Explaining their lesson, she quickly set them to work on predicting the possible future options on the basis of their past experiences, using numerology.

It was a fun class. She and Blaise kept on exchanging their predictions, witty banter and laughter. But, she felt that she could do better. Every time Professor Vector asked a question, she raised her hand, nearly jumping from her seat. She could feel Malfoy's heavy stare on her, and several whispers in the class about Sophie and her resemblance to Hermione.

* * *

The  **Charms**   **corridor**

When the bell rang, she walked with Blaise to their next class, Charms. Since it was their N.E.W.T year, all classes no longer had large number of students hence all sixth years for that particular subject had their lessons together.

Blaise was a massive flirt, dropping hints and pouting every time she disagreed. Malfoy walked behind them, looking disgruntled and murmuring to himself. When they reached the charms corridor, they found several of the students standing outside the class and whispering amongst them. Hermione and Blaise exchanged glances. She could hear Sophie's name, and realised that she was the topic of their discussion.

Even the Gryffindors, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Lavender Brown, Fay Dunbar, and Neville Longbottom were whispering loudly, pointing at her. Harry and Ron were giving her disapproving looks. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were staring at her curiously. She and Blaise walked towards the Slytherins, Daphne, Pansy, Nott, Tracey, Millicent, Crabbe and Goyle. "What's going on?" asked Blaise.

"Everyone's talking about Arithmancy. What exactly happened there?", asked Pansy, glaring at Hermione.

"Nothing happened Parkinson. Stop looking at me like that," retorted Hermione.

"Everyone's talking about you. Your behavior in Arithmancy, to be exact."

"What about it?" Hermione snapped.

"Nothing Sophie _,_ your behavior inclass is remarkably similar to Hermione Granger's and everyone's talking about it, " replied Tracey.

"So what?" snapped Blaise, rather loudly. "I don't see why it is such a fascinating topic of discussion. So what if her actions resemble Granger's? Both of them are smart, intelligent and bookworms, as Sophie confessed to being one last night. It's possible that they even behave alike. You all should keep minding your own businesses."

Silence followed Blaise's outburst. Hermione looked at him, her eyes watering slightly. Blaise Zabini had defended her. Especially after having met her just the previous day. He was a Slytherin: people who never trusted anyone. Hermione had a hard time processing this fact. She looked around to see others' reaction. The Ravenclaws had raised their eyebrows, no doubt analysing Blaise's reaction. It was surprising. He never really drew attention to himself in public, preferring to hide in Malfoy's shadows. The Hufflepuffs were whispering and pointing at him, Gryffindors had their jaws wide open in surprise. Harry and Ron stared with their eyes wide, turned towards each other and smirked. No doubt impressed with what they believed was a result of her influence on Zabini; Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, gave her a scrutinising gaze and began gossiping.

Slytherins were however another matter. Daphne gave Zabini a cold glare, before turning towards a highly shocked Pansy. Nott grinned at Blaise with a 'way to go, mate' kind of expression on his face. Tracey grabbed and pressed Hermione's shoulders reassuringly. Millicent Bulstrode looked at a dumbfounded Crabbe and a sniggering Goyle and shrugged.

Malfoy, though. Hermione couldn't even begin to decipher his expression. Cold, blank expression adorned his face. Nothing in his posture indicated any kind of reaction to Blaise's words. He coolly regarded Blaise. His eyes alternated between the both of them and finally rested on her. The silvery grey orbs, burned darkly. His gaze was entrancing her and she found herself unable to back from his stare. She finally blinked and broke his gaze. His hands, usually the pockets of his robe, were now clenched into fists; a move that confused Hermione.

"What's causing all this holdup?", the voice of Professor Flitwick squeaked from behind the Hufflepuffs. Everyone turned at his little form, who nonchalantly hopped into the classroom, and beckoned them inside. Hermione followed Tracey and Blaise inside, settling down at one of the tables. The class continued normally, Flitwick introducing their new syllabus and teaching them the theory for the Aguamenti charm.

Hermione could feel every eye on her and did her best to not draw much attention to herself. Answering only a couple of questions and earning 20 points for Slytherin, she had calmly raised her hand and answered only when nobody else knew it.

' _Hopefully, I've managed to not draw too much suspicion',_  she thought to herself, as she walked out of the classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - The description of the Slytherin common room is a product of actual cannon description as found on Pottermore and Harry Potter Wiki and my own imagination. The dorm however is mine completely.
> 
> Read and review!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


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